>>4544491
It’s not a loss, really. Rank-related squabbling is one thing you always hated about the Organization. But if that means trainees are being used for fodder like you suspect they are, that’s even worse. Were you not bound by any rules you’d be inclined to say kill them all before they have the chance to feed any more of your kind into the machine of their construction, but unfortunately it isn’t so simple.

“So who are you?” Rosalina enquires.

“Noel, former number seven,” you reply. “This is Sofia, formerly… what was your last rank?”

“Four,” Sofia replies curtly.

“Formerly number four,” you amend yourself. “I have just one pertinent question for you… if you were given an alternative to eating people to survive, what would you do?”

“Why would I want that?” Rosalina smirks. “I’ve attained such raw power, for the first time in my life I feel like I’m in control! I’m not just going to give that up, not for anyone or anything.”

“Even if it means feeding on human lives?” Sofia presses.

“It’s just a few humans,” Rosalina dismisses the notion. “They deserve no better… and let’s face it, they’ll just be replaced quickly enough.”

“Human lives are worth no more to a being like me than the lives of cattle.”

>Launch a first strike to try and catch her off guard.
>Invite Rosalina to leave town to fight. Minimize the collateral damage.
>Partially awaken. You’ll have to talk with Sofia about it some time anyway.
>Other

>>4544497
>>Launch a first strike to try and catch her off guard.

This will honestly let us do the second option better most likely, she doesn't seem like a talker.

>>4544497
>>Launch a first strike to try and catch her off guard.

>>4544497
>>Launch a first strike to try and catch her off guard.

>>4544497
>Partially awaken. You’ll have to talk with Sofia about it some time anyway.

>>4544497
>Partially awaken. You’ll have to talk with Sofia about it some time anyway.
She's probably on her guard if she's not stupid.

>>4544497
>>Invite Rosalina to leave town to fight. Minimize the collateral damage.

>>4544497
>Partially awaken. You’ll have to talk with Sofia about it some time anyway.

>>4544497
>>Launch a first strike to try and catch her off guard.

Rosalina clearly doesn't give a shit about humans, so of course she won't move if asked. And if the first strike doesn't work, then

>Partially awaken. You’ll have to talk with Sofia about it some time anyway.

>Launch a first strike to try and catch her off guard.

>>4544497
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 9, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>>4544922

Rolled 6, 2, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>4544922

Rolled 9, 6, 9 = 24 (3d10)

>>4544922

Rolled 4, 1, 7 = 12 (3d10)

>>4544922

>>4544928
Pretty good roll!

>>4544922
You make the first strike.

Your sword is a blur as it leaves your back and arcs towards Rosalina’s throat, and her arm is a blur as she catches the edge. Her arm wavers slightly and you draw blood, so you can roughly gauge her physical strength and toughness in her base form by that single exchange… and in your judgment this won’t be too difficult.

Before she can follow up on her feat of catching your blade you flip yourself into the air and roll over your own sword, relying on the strength of her grip to support your body weight, and deliver a powerful kick to the side of her head using the White Strike technique. The blow wrenches your sword free and you continue your graceful turn through the air, landing in a low crouch with your blade held in a reverse-grip that you have to quickly shift.

Meanwhile Sofia has positioned herself in your target’s line of movement, sword drawn and eyes gold as she swings her sword in an upward sweep to catch Rosalina before she can land. The blow meets a transformed arm, taking a deep chip off its armor-like shell and sending the awakened being towards the ceiling.

She launches herself back down toward Sofia, having grown claws, but is forced to turn in midair to avoid your own sword as you threw it to intercept her. But as her back is turned you awaken your legs to make the real strike.

“A feint!?” she realizes as you punch her in the chest, the blow crushing her insides and sending her crashing across the church and onto the point of your sword, which has embedded pommel-first into a stone column. The blade’s entire length emerges from Rosalina’s chest with a scream, just before Sofia finishes the job with a single stroke across the awakened being’s neck.

“Ah?” Rosalina’s head realizes as it falls to the floor. “So that is what my full power amounts to? How… pitiful...”

Sofia says nothing as you pull Rosalina’s body down from where it’s been impaled to the wall and retrieve your sword… though in her silence, perhaps, she tells you much more about how she’s feeling than her words could.

>We’ll take a moment to bury Rosalina as a human before we leave. She deserved better than this.
>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave.
>We don’t have time. We’ll put some stones over her head somewhere further along the road.
>Other?

>>4546098
>>We’ll take a moment to bury Rosalina as a human before we leave. She deserved better than this.
>>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave.

>>4546098
>>We’ll take a moment to bury Rosalina as a human before we leave. She deserved better than this.
>>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave.

>>4546098
>We’ll take a moment to bury Rosalina as a human before we leave. She deserved better than this.
>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave

>>4546098
>>We’ll take a moment to bury Rosalina as a human before we leave. She deserved better than this.
>>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave.

>>4546098
>>We’ll take a moment to bury Rosalina as a human before we leave. She deserved better than this.
>>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave.

>>4546098
>>>I think we need to know what happened here, speak with some of the locals before we leave.

>>4546098
“As much as I want to get to Isabel, I’d rather not do it by depriving this one of a decent burial,” you admit. “Sofia, can you bury her in the little churchyard just downslope from here? I saw it coming in, I think.”

“I saw that too,” Sofia agrees. “I can bury her remains using just my sword... it would hardly be my first time digging a grave in such a manner. What will you be doing?”

“I’d like to find anyone to ask about what’s been happening here,” you explain. “I’ll find you here when I have some answers.”

…

Answers, as it turns out, aren’t exactly forthcoming. Once you’ve wiped the purple gore off your sword and its fittings, you spend several minutes calling out for anyone still in town to come out and speak to you. When this fails, you take to knocking at people’s doors and rapping your knuckles against shuttered windows, testing the locks on doors to find your entrance barred in each case. You can tell that people are inside many of these homes and businesses, but they refuse to come out or to let you in even when you try to explain the situation to them.

“Would anyone care to explain what happened here!?” you shout vainly in the narrow, circular space that passes for a town square in this settlement, clinging as it does to the edge of a cliff. “Anyone at all!?”

As you have come to expect, no one answers.

>Your need to know outweighs any right to privacy these people may have. Pick a likely candidate and kick in their door.
>Their back doors or windows probably won’t be as secure. Find a way into someone’s home in that sort of way.
>Try to issue a royal decree under your authority as Queen of Hazaran. You have a crown and everything.
>Other?

>>4547413
>>Try to issue a royal decree under your authority as Queen of Hazaran. You have a crown and everything.

If that doesn't work, kick a door in or in better case just lift the door off its hinges.

>>4547413
>>Try to issue a royal decree under your authority as Queen of Hazaran. You have a crown and everything.

>>4547413
>>Try to issue a royal decree under your authority as Queen of Hazaran. You have a crown and everything.

>>4547413
>>Try to issue a royal decree under your authority as Queen of Hazaran. You have a crown and everything.

>>4547413
>Try to issue a royal decree under your authority as Queen of Hazaran. You have a crown and everything.

>>4547413
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 3, 7 = 11 (3d10)

>>4548564

Rolled 6, 10, 5 = 21 (3d10)

>>4548564

Rolled 5, 1, 5 = 11 (3d10)

>>4548564

>>4548564
… there’s one thing you can do to force these people to at least tell you something, and part of it is in the small pack slung across your back in line with your sword’s holster. Tucking your hair back slightly you put the circlet on, stepping very visibly into the role you were born for.

“I am Queen Noel Tiberius di Hazaran!” you bellow. “I demand that a representative of this town show themselves so that I may speak with them!”

After several minutes, a single balding head pokes out of an ornately-carved door down the street, and after a few more awkward seconds the man it belongs to steps out into the open. The door loudly and conspicuously locks behind him, and he puts on a floppy silk hat… the hat of a wealthy merchant, you’d guess. So this must be the most ‘noteworthy’ resident, probably a local patron of the church.

“I would be authorized to speak for the others,” the man declares as he approaches you, then he stops as he notices the sheer size of the jewel at the center of your crown. He bows deeply as he realizes that you may actually be exactly who you claim.

“We mean no disrespect, my lady, I hope you understand. We’re just common folk out here… we’re scared when it rains too little, we’re scared when it rains too much. We’re scared of the killing-frost and of the withering summer sun, and we’re scared of both yōma and those with the power to hunt them.”

“What happened here?” you demand. “Speak simply, answer directly.”

“We had a yōma problem,” he replies nervously. “A silver-eyed witch came and killed it, but she was badly hurt. We… didn’t want to get near her, you see. We were all scared for our safety… we’ve all heard the stories about what a silver-eyed witch can do.”

“So you turned your backs on her,” you scowl. “Cowards.”

“You’re right,” he admits. “We are cowards. But it serves us well.”

“Her name was Rosalina,” you glare him into cowering submission. “You don’t need to tell me any more. I can guess what happened from there.”

“You killed her?”

“I did,” you confirm. “For two warriors at the level of the ones now in your town, it was nothing.”

“And… so what happens now?” the man asks you timidly.

>While we can’t raise a hand to any of you, we also don’t have to save you next time. Good luck.
>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.
>Do as I say, and answer all of my questions, and I promise not to demolish any of your town.
>Other?

>>4548611
>>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.

>>4548611
>>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.

>>4548611
>>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.

>>4548611
>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.

>>4548611
>>While we can’t raise a hand to any of you, we also don’t have to save you next time. Good luck.
But
>>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.

>>4548611
>If you can help me find a warrior with a blue hilted sword I’ll forgive you for Rosalina’s fate.

>>4548611
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 1, 5 = 8 (3d10)

>>4549609

Rolled 9, 7, 3 = 19 (3d10)

>>4549609

Rolled 8, 6, 9 = 23 (3d10)

>>4549609
lets hope for more shall we?

Rolled 5, 2, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>4549609

Rolled 2, 10, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4549609

>>4549615
bless

>>4549609
“If you can help me find a warrior with a blue-hilted sword like mine,” you scowl at the cowering man, “and my partner’s, then I will forgive you for your part in Rosalina’s fate. I hope for your sake you can at least point us in the right direction.”

“I… I’ve heard rumors,” he sputters. “I’ve heard that there’s a silver-eyed witch who lives to the northeast.”

“Where?” you demand. “Give me an exact answer.”

“I don’t know!” the man insists defensively. “They’re only rumors! But they say she frequents a castle town in the Akema vale, the source of a river that flows down out of the mountains and into Hibernia.”

“What is the name of this town?” you demand the last piece of information you need.

“Akemness,” he tells you. “The name of the town is Akemness, I swear to you that’s the rumor! A silver-eyed witch with long silver hair and a sword with a blue hilt!”

With a curt nod you turn and leave the man behind.

…

“There’s a town to the northeast,” you insist when you see Sofia again. “Isabel may be there… evidently there’s a rumor about a warrior with long silver hair and a blue-hilted sword hanging around the castle town at Akemness.”

“Long silver hair?” Sofia repeats. “That sounds like Isabel to me.”

“Then we should go,” you insist, sparing a glance at the freshly-dug grave marked only by a slab of stone laid over some of the loose dirt. “So we don’t have to bury anyone else.”

“Agreed,” Sofia nods curtly.

…

With an objective ahead of you, the two of you race towards the town of Akemness without rest for another full day and a half, arriving late in the evening. The town is defined by a castle, as you were told, which protects a narrow pass at one end of a long lake. The headwaters of the river Akema flow out through that pass, while the castle is nestled to one side with a wide stone bridge crossing it leading out of the town and into the pass. So it’s a toll castle.

You can sense that there’s a strong yōki coming from the castle.

>Go in and see who it is. You THINK it’s a warrior, single-digit by the feel of it.
>Sneak in after sunset. You have no idea how these people will react to you.
>Go in as a Queen. People here seem to answer better to royalty than yōki powers.
>Wait outside and see if whoever is inside the castle will come to you instead.
>Other?

>>4549793
>>Go in and see who it is. You THINK it’s a warrior, single-digit by the feel of it.

>>4549793
>>Go in and see who it is. You THINK it’s a warrior, single-digit by the feel of it.

>>4549793
>Sneak in after sunset. You have no idea how these people will react to you.

>>4549793
>Sneak in after sunset. You have no idea how these people will react to you.

What was the name of the current #1 rank again?

>>4549861
We call her Karen behind her back.

>>4549861
"Illustrated" Clarice. So-nicknamed because she gets the emblems of warriors she's killed tattooed onto her body. She would insist that they were all awakened or were in the process of awakening, but the rumor is that's not true.

>>4549793
>>4549801

>>4550235
Too bad, it would be neat if she had yakuza-style body tattoos that illustrated her triumphs like the Bayeux Tapestry.

>>4550266
More like prison tats with the names of people she's murdered.

>>4549793
>>Go in and see who it is. You THINK it’s a warrior, single-digit by the feel of it.

>>4549793
“Well, no reason not to go in through the front door,” you sigh.

…

At the front gate you find yourselves met by men with long guns, each with a triangular metal spike attached to the side of the barrel about as long as a man’s forearm, set off slightly to the side to allow the ramrod to be removed and replaced.

“Well this isn’t a great reception,” you admit as the soldiers surround you. A man with an officer’s hat approaches with a sword drawn.

“Put down your weapons and surrender!” he demands. “By order of the king of Akemness!”

“… no?” you reply, nonplussed at this sudden aggression. “Why should we?”

“Because it’s the order of the king that all silver-eyed witches should be imprisoned or failing that executed,” the officer explains. “You are both silver-eyed witches.”

“I don’t recognize this ‘king’s authority,” you frown.

“You don’t need to,” the officer frowns. “We have you outnumbered twenty to one and surrounded.”

“And your men are in each other’s lines of fire,” you observe.

The officer winces… he knows that if he redistributes his men now you’ll be able to escape, but he also knows that you’re completely right and that if any of his men miss they’ll be shooting each other.

>Partially-awaken and break through. Your armored body is sufficient to stop bullets.
>You may both be able to make it through on sheer speed and athleticism.
>Wait for the officer to redeploy his troops and seize that as an opportunity to move.
>Other?

>>4550613
Tempted to pull the whole crown royalty thing here.

Is the King declaring war on the Sovereign kingdom oh Hazaran, by attempting to imprison or murder its rightful ruler?

>>4550616
>>4550613
Let's see where this goes.

>>4550616
>>4550613
that is actually a clever move, love it

>>4550613
>>4550616
This. Maybe with us showing how fast we really are.

>>4550613
>>Partially-awaken and break through. Your armored body is sufficient to stop bullets.

>>4550613
>>4550616
Yeah this is a good plan. Supporting!

Wasn't really a write in but okay, lets roll with it.

>>4550613
You'll get an update tomorrow, this afternoon turned into something WAY longer than I expected.

>>4550613
"You shouldn’t feel too embarrassed,” you smirk confidently at the officer. “After all, it’s only natural that a queen would have a good grasp on military matters.”

There are a few seconds where the officer seems to have some trouble with what you just declared to him. But gradually, it dawns on him that you’re being completely serious… and that forcing a confrontation with you might just be a bad thing.

“Explain yourself, witch,” the officer demands.

“Of course,” you reply. “My name is Noel Tibuerius di Hazaran. You’re correct in that I was once a warrior of the Organization, but I have now reclaimed my rightful place as the Queen of Hazaran. Your king must be a bold man indeed to commit to an act of war against my kingdom by attacking its queen without provocation.”

“You’re bluffing,” the officer insists as his soldiers seem to waver, nervous at the implications.

“She has a crown,” Sofia adds flatly. “Miss Naori, show him your crown.”

You pull the crown out of your pack and show it to the officer.

There’s a lengthy pause.

“What do you want?” the officer demands.

>The warrior you have held in this castle. Bring her to me. Alive. NOW.
>I want to speak with this ‘king’ of yours. Allow me past.
>Bring out your skulking king. I have a few choice words for him.
>Other?

>>4552902
>The warrior you have held in this castle. Bring her to me. Alive. NOW.

>Miss Naori
kek

>>4552902
>>The warrior you have held in this castle. Bring her to me. Alive. NOW.
We take her and we fuck off.

>>4552902
Noel, of course. Not Naori.

I'm still NOT feeling great.

>>4552902
>>The warrior you have held in this castle. Bring her to me. Alive. NOW.

>>4552902
>The warrior you have held in this castle. Bring her to me. Alive. NOW.

>>4552902
>>The warrior you have held in this castle. Bring her to me. Alive. NOW.

>>4552902
“I want you to go into your castle and tell your sad little ‘king’ to have the warrior he’s holding in that castle of his out to me, alive, immediately. This is not a negotiation, this is my sole demand.”

“And if he chooses to refuse?” the officer demands. “My king will want to know.”

“I may not be allowed to kill normal humans,” you muse, narrowing your eyes at the man. “But I can batter down your gates and topple your walls, I can smash your armories and ruin your cannons, I can slaughter your livestock and throw them in your wells.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“She’s not,” Sofia insists. “And I for one intend to be looking the other way while she makes good on her threats.”

“Go now,” you order. “And take your little playmates with you. They have no place here.”

After weighing his options, the officer withdraws along with his men. The riflemen take up positions by the gate as more men atop the low walls of the castle position a cannon to fire down at you. In response, you draw your sword.

You watch as the crew loads a solid shot, not even a cannister, and by the time they set the fuse you’re more than ready. When the shot reaches you your arm is already moving, your eyes glinting gold in the dim as your sword’s edge clips the base off the simple fuse. An explosive round, but by your newfound standards a primative one.

The inert shot excavates a divot in the dirt behind you while the fuse, still resting atop the flat of your blade, fizzles out.

…

That really seems to shift the whole interaction in your favor.

After several minutes you can sense the yōki inside being moved, getting closer to you. Eventually you can see that two men, accompanied by armed guards, are carrying someone out on a litter. As they turn slightly, you get a glimpse of a young woman with long silver hair. Her sword is nowhere to be seen.

“Isabel,” Sofia confirms. To your surprise, you can see a clear emotion in her face… not just a hint of what’s going on behind her normally cold eyes and impassive expression. That emotion is pure, unbridled, incandescent rage.

Isabel’s limbs have all been broken in several places, and her body is covered in bloodied bandages. She’s been subjected to intense torture, probably on a device like a rack, and likely shot or stabbed multiple times on top of that. She’s clearly unconscious… which is probably a mercy.

>Fuck it. Once Sofia takes Isabel away, you’re levelling this castle yourself.
>Demand an explanation, and demand that her sword be brought out as well.
>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.
>Other?

>>4553075
>>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

>>4553075
>>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

>>4553075
>>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

We can recover the sword later

>>4553075
>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

>>4553075
>>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

>>4553075
>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

>>4553075
>>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.

>>4553075
>Demand an audience with the King. This sort of barbarity is unacceptable.
Fuckers shot at us, stop by the dungeon and smash their shit so badly not even the metal parts can be salvaged.

>>4553075
The King is a Yoma isn't he?

>>4553075
“… this barbarism can’t stand,” you admit with a sharp glare towards the castle. “Sofia, please take Isabel away from here to recover. I will find you later.”

“Right,” Sofia agrees curtly, taking Isabel’s broken and limp body in her arms and walking away. “Please do not take too long, and do your best to catch up.”

“Will do,” you assure her. “But I also have to do something about this.”

“I agree.”

…

Your march into the castle is watched with no small amount of apprehension by the soldiers of the keep. They pull up the drawbridge, only for you to vault over the narrow stone-lined moat and slash through the bridge in a wide A-shape. The lower piece falls free, allowing you direct access into the castle’s first inner courtyard.

It’s easy enough to evade the gunfire that pours down into the courtyard, as at the first sign of trouble you choose to dash through the open and slash through the iron bars of the gate to the ground floor of the keep. You push past several men on the stairs, both regular attendants and confused and shocked soldiers.

Eventually you reach the throne room, where the man who clearly fancies himself a great king sits.

“You would be this ‘king’ I’ve been told of?” you growl. “The one who upon his orders my comrade was abused and her body shattered?”

His eyes widen in terror. “You… how did you get in here?”

“The front gate,” you insist curtly.

“I had my most skilled soldiers!” he protests. “My cannons, the walls of my castle!”

“Irrelevant.”

“How are you this much stronger than the other one?”

It’s surprising that you can be more furious at him with every passing word. “Because most of our kind refuse to so much as risk hurting a human. When it comes to your kind we tend to be pacifists.”

“But what you’ve done is inexcusable. You don’t deserve my mercy.”

>I demand reparations, payable to the regent of the Kingdom of Hazaran.
>I demand my comrade’s sword, delivered immediately into my possession.
>I demand the disarmament of your troops and the slighting of your castle.
>Other?

>>4554219
>I demand my comrade’s sword, delivered immediately into my possession.
>I demand reparations, payable to the regent of the Kingdom of Hazaran.

His actions towards you would be a good casus belli for you to use to invade and destroy him, but reparations save lives and allows the King to stay in power. If the King doesn't want to cooperate, we could probably just destroy his cannons one by one until he accepts.

>>4554219
>>I demand reparations, payable to the regent of the Kingdom of Hazaran.
>>I demand my comrade’s sword, delivered immediately into my possession.

>>4554223
>>4554219

>>4554219
>>4554223
This

>>4554219
>I demand reparations, payable to the regent of the Kingdom of Hazaran.
>I demand my comrade’s sword, delivered immediately into my possession.

>>4554219
>I demand reparations, payable to the regent of the Kingdom of Hazaran.
>I demand my comrade’s sword, delivered immediately into my possession.

>>4554219
“I demand two things,” you insist angrily. “The return of my sister’s sword, and reparations payable to my designated regent. The former is not open to negotiation, but the latter can be discussed.”

The king shouts for one of his stewards to fetch Isabel’s sword.

“These… these reparations,” he enquires, trying to seem reasonable and calm rather than panicked. “How much are you thinking about?”

>All the cannons in this little fortress of yours.
>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.
>Half of your city’s coffers.
>Other?

>>4555367
>>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.

>>4555367
>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.

>>4555367
>>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.

>>4555367
>>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.
I'm gonna need about three fiddy.

>>4555367
>>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.

>>4555367
>All the cannons in this fortress, or half of them with an equivalent value in coin.

Literally just archive binged the entire SSQ and holy shit it was a ride so kudo Queen

>>4556296
which SSQ, there are at this point, 3?

>>4556592
Technically this is an SSQ. And a Char.
>update in a bit

>>4556614
exactly

>>4555367
“How many cannons do you have at this castle?” you ask.

The king takes a moment to answer. “Sixteen.”

“That’s incorrect,” you insist. “You don’t have cannons at this castle. I have cannons at this castle. Sixteen of them. But I’m willing to sell you up to eight at the fair market price.”

“So you’re planning to take half of my cannons and an equivalent amount from my coffers to the value of the other half?” he realizes. “What makes you think I would accept that?”

“Your alternative is that I destroy all of your cannons,” you counter, “and bring down your castle’s walls on my way out.”

“You can’t do that.”

“I can and I will.”

The king stares at you for several long seconds, before looking away. “Very well.”

>I expect you to arrange for transportation of the cannons and the funds, effective immediately.
>Hand over the funds now. The cannons can be transported in due time, not to exceed one month.
>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.
>Other?

>>4556648
>>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.
>Hand over the funds now. The cannons can be transported in due time, not to exceed one month.

>>4556648
>>>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.
>>Hand over the funds now. The cannons can be transported in due time, not to exceed one month.

>>4556648
>I expect you to arrange for transportation of the cannons and the funds. The cannons can be transported in due time, not to exceed one month.
>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.

Hostages, another old way of making sure nobility follows the demands. With these small modifications, the King has month to transport the cannons, but it should be done preferably immediately.

>>4556648
>>I expect you to arrange for transportation of the cannons and the funds, effective immediately.

>>4556648
>Hand over the funds now. The cannons can be transported in due time, not to exceed one month.
>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.

>>4556648
>I expect you to arrange for transportation of the cannons and the funds, effective immediately.
Aiee, no hostages. They will leak details of Scaithness' defences.

>>4556648
>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.

>>4556648
>Until you can follow through on my demands I’ll settle for taking collateral with me. An eldest child, perhaps.

>>4556989
We're doing this as a head of state. We will hold the hostage in the capital.

>>4557285
Probably not a great idea to have a Young yummy boy hanging around if we are gonna have a buncha Yoma and Awakened and abysmal's around. Unless we are trying to make him into a future Rikku or whats that kids name in the comics.

>>4557322
Scaithness is not the capital.

>>4557327
Where are we keeping the boy if not with us?

>>4557332
We have a regent for these things.

>>4557336
Where is the fun in that?

Why are antagonizing this rando king again? Feels like giving the Inquisition a free foothold.

>>4557361
Because he tortured Isabel half to death, is probably responsible for the attitudes that led to Rosalina's awakening, and tried to have Noel and Sofia captured or killed.

Letting that slide isn't in the cards. It's not reasonable, and it's not in character.

>>4557361
Someone has no empathy for our comrades it seems

>>4556648
“I expect you to arrange for transportation of the cannons and funds, delivery is to take no more than one month,” you insist curtly. “Until such time as you do, I believe collateral is the typical arrangement?”

There’s an audible pause. “Collateral?”

You nod. “You heard me.”

“What sort of collateral were you considering?”

You consider the question carefully. “What do you have in terms of children?”

His eyes widen in surprise. “Children?”

“Is there an echo in this room?” you sigh. “Yes. Children.”

“I have a son and a daughter.”

“How old?”

“My son is seventeen,” he admits. “My daughter just turned fifteen.”

“What are their names?” you press.

“Arren and Alicia.”

“I’ll be taking them with me to Hazaran,” you declare. “I’ll see to it personally that they’re both well cared-for… unlike you, my kind aren’t barbarians who torture the innocent. And unless I have some reason to think otherwise your children are innocent… again, unlike you.”

…

The king’s two teenaged children are quickly prepared for a long ride in a cart. You give them a moment to say goodbye to their father… Arren, with his father’s dark hair and eyes, seems defiant, while flaxen-haired Alicia doesn’t seem to quite understand the situation as their hands are bound.

You lead the horse on a long rope tied to its bit, giving it enough space that it doesn’t start at your mere presence. It’s not until just before dawn that you catch up with Sofia, who places Isabel in the back of the cart with Arren and Alicia.

“What is this?” she asks you curtly.

“Collateral,” you admit. “Political affairs, not professional.”

“I don’t like it,” Sofia admits bluntly.

“Neither do I,” you shake your head. “But things like this happen in international politics when one side has no reason to trust the other.”
>1/2

>>4557464
“And why should we?” Arren demands sharply.

“Why should you what?” you ask.

“Trust you?” he clarifies. “Why should we trust you?”

“I… don’t think you quite understand what’s happening here,” you muse, bewildered at the apparent miscommunication at work here. “It’s us who don’t trust your father. That’s why you are the ones in our custody.”

“You attacked our castle!” Arren protests.

“Because your father tried to have us killed!” you snap back. “And we were only there in the first place to save our friend!”

“Look at her!” you demand. “Look at what your father did to her!”

“You witches aren’t even human!” he declares.

“We gave up everything and committed to dying alone in agony,” you counter, “for the sake of protecting people who hate us for it. And for that, your father had Isabel tortured and mutilated. She’ll be lucky if she ever recovers… and for what? What did she do to deserve this?”

…

It’s well into the morning when you start noticing that your captives are acting more and more… uncomfortable. It’d also be a good time to check on Isabel.

>There’s some trail rations in back. Untie each, one at a time, to let them eat.
>There’s no sense keeping them bound during the day. They won’t be escaping.
>Hunt some fresh food and rejoin them for lunch. Stretch their trail rations.
>Other?

>>4557482
>Hunt some fresh food and rejoin them for lunch. Stretch their trail rations.

>>4557482
>Hunt some fresh food and rejoin them for lunch. Stretch their trail rations.

>>4557482
>There’s some trail rations in back. Untie each, one at a time, to let them eat.

>>4557482
>>There’s some trail rations in back. Untie each, one at a time, to let them eat.

>>4557482
>>Hunt some fresh food and rejoin them for lunch. Stretch their trail rations.

>>4557482
>>Hunt some fresh food and rejoin them for lunch. Stretch their trail rations.

>>4557482
>There’s some trail rations in back. Untie each, one at a time, to let them eat.
>Hunt some fresh food and rejoin them for lunch. Stretch their trail rations.
>Other?
Talk to them like Royalty, with the crown on. let them ask questions, particularly the young girl who seems aloof.

Don't mind me, just getting my new Chromebook set up so that I can quest on it.

>>4557482
You decide to stop the cart at the soonest convenient spot, and go on a brief hunt. This gives Sofia time to tend to Isabel’s extensive injuries, making sure that her bones are set properly and splinted, while you find whatever you can in a nearby stand of scraggly-looking pines.

As it turns out the answer is ‘not much’, but you do manage to spot a small blood pheasant. It’s a short-tailed species a bit like a chicken, with flecked grey and white plumage over its body aside from the blood-red feathers around its eyes and throat. It’s easy enough to hurl your sword with sufficient force to separate its head mid-flight, despite the fact that you haven’t had to hunt like this for a good while.

…

You pluck and wash the pheasant back at the cart, and start a small fire to cook it over.

“Sorry that we have no spices,” you muse, “but this shouldn’t bee too bad.”

“Where did you get that?” Alicia asks you curiously.

You shrug. “I hunted it over in that stand of trees.”

“I didn’t here any gunshots.”

“Because I killed it with my sword,” you clarify.

She doesn’t seem to believe you. “How?”

“By throwing it,” you explain.

“You expect us to believe that?” Arren rolls his eyes.

“Not especially,” you shrug, before turning your attention to Sofia. “How is Isabel?”

“Her limbs have started to heal,” she informs you, “but she seems to be exhausted. She should wake up some time later today, or maybe tomorrow.”

“That’s good news,” you sigh in relief. “You want some pheasant?”

She shakes her head. “I’m not hungry. Let those two have it all.”

“Well, not all of it,” you admit. “Part of my unique condition is that I need to eat more.”

“How strange.”

…

When the pheasant is done you split its meat into three sections, two a fair bit larger than the third, and portion out some of the fresh water, crackers, hard cheese, and dried fruit.

“Don’t expect full bellies,” you tell Arren and Alicia. “Your father didn’t give us enough for that, even if I stretch it with fresh meat.”
>1/2

>>4558626
After letting them eat their fill, then re-tying their hands, you set off once more.

“How much longer?” Arren eventually asks you idly. “Until we reach your kingdom?”

“Hard to say,” you admit.

>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.
>It takes however long it takes. The two of you are honestly slowing us down… a LOT.
>I’m close to ditching the cart and running the rest of the way with one of you on my back.
>Other?

>>4558628
>>It takes however long it takes. The two of you are honestly slowing us down… a LOT.
>>I’m close to ditching the cart and running the rest of the way with one of you on my back

>>4558628
>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.
>It takes however long it takes. The two of you are honestly slowing us down… a LOT.

>>4558628
>>I’m close to ditching the cart and running the rest of the way with one of you on my back.

>>4558628

>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.
>It takes however long it takes. The two of you are honestly slowing us down… a LOT.

>>4558628
>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.
As soon as she can walk, we can ditch the cart and carry the kids.

>>4558628
>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.
Lets not risk her awakening. Imagine if she had awakened in the castle.

Also what happened to the dagger that blacksmith loaned to us? Do we still have it? We should use it more or get some simple throwing daggers instead of always throwing our sword, or perhaps even a Chakram.

>>4558628
>It takes however long it takes. The two of you are honestly slowing us down… a LOT.
>I’m close to ditching the cart and running the rest of the way with one of you on my back.

>>4558628
>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.

>>4558628
>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.

>>4558628
>>It depends on how long it takes Isabel to recover from what your father did to her.

>>4558628
“I’m this close to throwing you over my shoulder and walking,” you admit with a roll your eyes. “It’d be faster. But we can’t do that until Isabel recovers from what your father did to her, so until then we’re stuck with the present arrangement.”

“Who even are you?” Arren demands.

“Queen Noel Tiberius di Hazaran,” you reply sternly.

“How can you be a queen?” he presses. “You’re one of those monster women, right?”

“Not an unfair description,” Sofia admits flatly.

“Each of us was born human,” you remind him. “And with any luck we’ll die that way.”

“What do you intend to do with us when we get to where we’re going?” Alicia asks hesitantly.

“I’m not sure,” you admit. “It’s down to two castles.”

>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.
>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.
>Other?

>>4559903
>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.

>>4559903
>>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.
this way they can learn about what they were trained to hate/distrust

>>4559903
>>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.

>>4559903
>>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.

>>4559903
>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.

>>4559903
>>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.

>>4559903
>>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.

>>4559903
>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.
There's vague protocol for political hostages like this.

>>4559903
>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.

>>4559903
>We’ll probably take you to the capital, leave you in the care of my regent. It won’t be unpleasant, he’s a good man.

>>4559903
>>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.

>>4557322
>>4559906
Hm.

>>4559903
>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.

>>4559903
>>We’ll take you to Scaithness where we can keep an eye on you, but your movements will be restricted.

>>4559903
“Normally you would be taken to the capital,” you admit, “where my regent currently handles day-to-day affairs of state. However, even if he’s a good man he’s hardly suited as a babysitter.”

Alicia is the one to speak up. “So what was the alternative?”

“Scaithness,” you reply. “The keep of my father’s clan… and by extension, my own private fortress town. Unfortunately that means we’ll need to keep a close watch on you and your movements will be more restricted.”

“We’ll also need to blindfold you before we arrive.”

“Why?” Arren demands curtly.

“So you don’t see the extensive array of defenses around the keep,” you insist. “I’ll say to you what I said to your father, you won’t be mistreated in any way. But we will be taking precautions.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 6, 6 = 13 (3d10)

>>4560998

Rolled 10, 10, 4 = 24 (3d10)

>>4560998

Rolled 9, 4, 8 = 21 (3d10)

>>4560998

>>4560998
The next morning, as you’re cooking a rabbit you killed and a few roots you scrounged up from the nearby mountain shrubbery, you hear a new voice from the back of the cart.

“That smells good.”

“She’s awake,” Sofia declares.

“Hey Sofia,” Isabel greets her friend. “It’s been a while… why does my whole body hurt?”

>Go kill something else. Isabel is bound to be hungry.
>Ask Isabel if she remembers anything… and make the kids listen to her answers.
>It’s not nice… but your priority should be to focus on helping her finish healing.
>Other?

Rolled 7, 9, 4 = 20 (3d10)

>>4560998

>>4561044
>>Go kill something else. Isabel is bound to be hungry.
>It’s not nice… but your priority should be to focus on helping her finish healing.

>>4561044
>>It’s not nice… but your priority should be to focus on helping her finish healing.

>>4561044
>It’s not nice… but your priority should be to focus on helping her finish healing.

>>4561044
>>Go kill something else. Isabel is bound to be hungry.
>>It’s not nice… but your priority should be to focus on helping her finish healing.

>>4561044
>Ask Isabel if she remembers anything… and make the kids listen to her answers.

>>4561044
>>Ask Isabel if she remembers anything… and make the kids listen to her answers.

>>4561044
>Ask Isabel if she remembers anything… and make the kids listen to her answers

>>4561044
>Ask Isabel if she remembers anything… and make the kids listen to her answers.

>>4561044
>>Ask Isabel if she remembers anything… and make the kids listen to her answers.

>>4561044
“Isabel, do you remember anything about what happened?” you ask her. “Please, anything you can tell us will help.”

She glances over at you from the back of the cart. “You’re… Noel, right?”

“That’s right. How could you tell?”

Isabel chuckles lightly for a moment before wincing. “Ah… that hurt.”

“Sorry,” you apologize.

“I was having tea,” Isabel eventually tells you once the pain eases. “They opened fire from outside, then stormed in with bayonets. I counted sixteen bullets before they started to bayonet me while I was on the ground… I lost consciousness, one of the bullets struck my skull and fractured it.”

“When I awoke I was on a device, chains around my ankles and wrists,” she continues. “They pulled tight until my limbs broke at the joints, and when they were done they bound me in place around the base of a column, to keep me from healing I think.”

“Speaking of which,” Sofia cuts in bluntly, “I need your help making sure your bones set properly.”

“Lovely,” Isabel rolls her eyes. “But understandable.”

“Should we...” Alicia asks, but you shake your head sternly.

“No. I expect you to watch.”

…

By the time Isabel and Sofia are done even Arren, who tried at first to keep a calm expression, is visibly cringing while Alicia is in tears.

“That feels better,” Isabel admits with a contented sigh. “Now I can take care of the rest.”

“How can you talk so calmly right now?” Arren protests.

Isabel glances up at Arren. “The two of you are the king’s children, aren’t you?”

Arren nods. “That’s right.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she turns away again and lays back to rest. “I don’t blame either of you for this… and I’ll be fine. I just need a day or two to heal myself.”

“We are all quite used to pain,” Sofia adds. “Would you say this was more or less painful than the procedure?”

“Oh, less,” Isabel admits. “Not even close.”

“There’s something that hurts worse than having all your joints broken?” Alicia stares in shock.
>1/2

>>4561922
“Dislocated,” you correct her. “And yes. Each of us goes through a surgical procedure partway through our training. The pain is… exquisite. Beyond anything you could possibly comprehend.”

“Like I said,” Sofia reiterates. “We are all quite used to pain.”

>We’ll continue travelling by horsecart until such time as Isabel can walk.
>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?
>Other?

>>4561935
>>We’ll continue travelling by horsecart until such time as Isabel can walk.
>>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?
we *will* have time to talk

>>4561935
>>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?

>>4561935
>We’ll continue travelling by horsecart until such time as Isabel can walk.

>>4561935
>>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?

>>4561935
>We’ll continue travelling by horsecart until such time as Isabel can walk.
>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?
>Other?
Time to teach these kids about the birds and the bees, and Claymore medical procedures.

Ask them about their family, but most importantly what happened to their mother. I suspect Yoma were involved in her untimely death.

>>4561935
>We’ll continue travelling by horsecart until such time as Isabel can walk.
>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?

>>4561935
>>We’ll continue travelling by horsecart until such time as Isabel can walk.
>>So, Arren. Alicia. What do the two of you actually know about our kind?

Today I learned that "noel" is an actual word.

>>4562745
......why would it not be?

>>4563048
I've only ever seen it used as a name before.

>>4561935
“We’ll travel like this until you can walk,” you tell Isabel. “Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“Just leave it to me,” Isabel replies with a tired smile.

...

“How much do you know,” you muse to Arren and Alicia several hours later, “about my kind?”

Alicia glances at her brother, who decides to speak on both of their behalf. “We know that you are not human. That you’re much closer to monsters.”

“Partly true,” you admit. “We’re taken as children, most of us either orphans or bought as slaves. We’re given training, strengthened and disciplined, before being grafted with the flesh and blood of a yoma.”

“So it’s true?”

You nod calmly. “The procedure kills many of us in agony... of the five in my cell only two of us survived. The other was a dear friend of mine... killed some years later in the line of duty.”

“Why were you chosen?” Arren asks with a frown. “How does that sort of decision get made?”

“The Organization wanted me for an experiment,” you explain. “Emma, they wanted because she hated yoma. My friend Serana, who you’ll meet in Scaithness, they bought for cheap.”

“I was the same,” Sofia admits. “At first I believed that training to become a warrior was better than slavery. I may have... miscalculated.”

“We become living tools,” you clarify what Sofia means.

“My older brother was killed by a yoma posing as his girlfriend,” Isabel tells the two. “Our parents died from an illness that swept through our village one winter.”

“You get the picture,” you declare. “We were all young girls that no one would miss. Though in my case... perhaps that premise was less accurate.”

“Because you were a princess,” Alicia chimes in.

“That’s right.”

“What was your father like?” she asks you.

“He was a good man,” you reply thoughtfully. “He... had a reputation for being erratic towards the end of his life, but he was always kind, and remarkably forward-thinking. He acknowledged me as his own and saw to my training as his heiress, and he always made time in his schedule to be a father to me.”

“He was more than anyone could have asked for... may I ask about your family?”
>1/2

>>4563225
“Our father is... distant,” Arren admits. “Ever since our mother was killed.”

“May I ask how it happened?”

After a moment he nods. “She was killed. A blonde-haired, silver-eyed woman stopped her while she was out riding one afternoon... our mother was an excellent rider. One of the ladies she was riding with survived... she told our father that the woman who stopped them grew massive claws...”

Arren pauses. “I don’t want to repeat what I heard. Not in front of my sister.”

“I can understand why,” you admit. So it was an awakened being by the sound of it, posing as one of your own fellow warriors... that’s troubling news.

“After that he was different,” Arren shakes his head. “He never liked... well, your kind. Said you were unnatural, and that it was unfortunate that your Organization had become necessary. But after our mother died he became fanatical. He began listening to the teachings from the south.”

“The Inquisition.”

Alicia nods. “The man whose council he took was scary. But... I think father was looking for something like what that man was saying.”

>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>It sounds like your mother was killed by one of my kind who lost control. Normally we kill our own before it reaches that point.
>We’ll discuss things in more detail after we reach Scaithness. We’ll have to get Isabel here caught up in any event.
>Other?

>>4563226
>>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.

>>4563226
>>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>>It sounds like your mother was killed by one of my kind who lost control. Normally we kill our own before it reaches that point.

>>4563226
>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>It sounds like your mother was killed by one of my kind who lost control. Normally we kill our own before it reaches that point.
>Add that Isabel could easily have awakened because of the torture, and she likely took considerable effort not to.

>>4563226
>>4563237

>>4563226
>>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>It sounds like a youma who was masquerading as one of us then. Killing humans is forbidden by the Organization, and ever released from it we don't do it.


Giving the kids more ammo about AB is probably not wise, at least not off the bat guys. We can learn them more once they are safe inside our castle.

>>4563226
>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>We’ll discuss things in more detail after we reach Scaithness. We’ll have to get Isabel here caught up in any event.

>>4563610
Probably shouldn't tell them the last part about AB then.

>>4563226
>>It sounds like your mother was killed by one of my kind who lost control. Normally we kill our own before it reaches that point.

>>4563673
It's not, if you read Claymore you know like the second youma Claire killed in the manga was one masquerading as a claymore. not an AB but a normal youma.

Changing my vote. (>>4563243)

>>4563243
>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.

>>4563226
>We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition. In some ways they’re worse than yoma, because the Inquisition SHOULD know better.
>It sounds like your mother was killed by one of my kind who lost control. Normally we kill our own before it reaches that point.

>>4563231
>>4563687
>>4564031
Why are you tacitly admitting all claymores are monsters in the making? This is only going to harden thier resolve that all claymores need to be purged so no more monsters are born from them. The organization had a very pragmatic reason to never blab about AB, and that’s because Claymores are already very very distrusted, AB would shatter that trust beyond repair and fuck thier experiment up, as the girls would likely commit suicide instead of becoming a man eating monster, and humans would try to murder them on sight to prevent AN from occurring.

>>4564118
cause you can't convince someone about the reality of something without telling the truth.
If you have a different opinion vote against it, King wouldn't have put it there as an option if it wasn't an in character choice to say.

>>4563226
“We’ve had dealings with the Inquisition,” you admit. “In some ways they’re worse than yōma, since the Inquisition should know better. But no… they’re the worst combination of cowards and killers you could ask for.”

“They attack our handlers,” Isabel tells them, “and the villages that hire us, because they know they can’t hurt us in a fair fight.”

“Like your father did with Isabel, by the sound of it,” Sofia adds bluntly.

“We can talk more when we get to Scaithness,” you declare. “There are some topics we should discuss with the rest of our cohort anyway. At very least, we need to get Isabel caught up on a few things.”

“I’ve heard rumors,” Isabel admits. “I’m looking forward to hearing some truths.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 2, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>4564172

Rolled 4, 9, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>4564172

Rolled 5, 5, 7 = 17 (3d10)

>>4564172

>>4564172
It takes three days before Isabel is able to walk, and so you abandon the horsecart with Lord Byron and take the rest of the route on foot. You carry Arren on your back, on the move both night and day, while Sophia carries Alicia. Isabel insists on carrying the rations that you feed them on the day and a half of travel that remains before you’re obliged to blindfold them both.

“Is this really necessary?” Arren grumbles.

“It is,” you declare. “Trust must be earned. That’s doubly true with my kind.”

…

Once inside the castle you set them down, remove their blindfolds, and dispose of their bonds.

>Lay down the ground rules immediately for the duration of their stay. Make sure there’s no confusion.
>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.
>Take them straight inside. Get all the important information out in the open.
>Other?

>>4564260
>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.
Giving them any more cause for resentment should be avoided, since the last thing we want them to do is something stupid.

>>4564265
>>4564260
agreed, and supporting

>>4564260
>>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.

>>4564260
>>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.

>>4564260
>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.

>>4564260
>>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.

>>4564260
>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.

>>4564260
>Introduce the newcomers to Gaius and Dominica. They’ll be treated as guests of your household.
They are royalty, and we aren't going to be holding them for long.

>>4564260
You lead your two guests to the stewards’ residence, knocking at the door. After a few moments Dominica answers, seemingly surprised at who she finds.

“Lady Noel,” she greets you with a bow. “You seem to have brought strangers with you… who are your guests, may I ask?”

“Hostages from a city to the east,” you explain. “They tried very hard to start a war… they’ll be delivering a load of cannons in a few days, so the king’s two children are collateral.”

“I see,” Dominica frowns. “Can’t say I like the sound of that, begging your pardon m’lady.”

“I understand,” you admit. “And to an extent I agree. But they are here, and so long as they are here I want them to be treated as our guests. I’ll be counting on you and old Gaius.”

After a moment, she nods. “As you wish, of course.”

“So,” she turns to the newcomers. “Who are you?”

“Arren, prince of Akemness,” Arren declares. “This is my sister, Alicia.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Alicia bows politely, a gesture which Dominica returns.

“Thank you for saying so, young lady.”

“Do you have room for them?” you enquire.

Dominica nods curtly. “Of course we can find room. It’ll be a bit snug maybe, but it’s doable.”

“You’ll need some time to make their space up?” you guess.

“I think that would be best,” she agrees.

>Good. Then can I leave them here?
>I’ll take them to our briefing, give you a chance to prepare.
>Other?

>>4565179
>>I’ll take them to our briefing, give you a chance to prepare.
we don't have to talk about anything incriminating, just that everyone knows they are here and their shitty attitude to "our kind"

>>4565179
>I’ll take them to our briefing, give you a chance to prepare.

>>4565179
>>I’ll take them to our briefing, give you a chance to prepare

>>4565179
>>I’ll take them to our briefing, give you a chance to prepare.

>>4565179
“I’ll take them in for the briefing,” you sigh. “Give you a chance to prepare.”

“Thank you, Lady Noel.”

…

It’s not had to tell that Arren and Alicia are deeply uncomfortable with the number of silver-eyed warriors all together in the same room with them, but they say nothing. In fact, you can hardly see them breathing as you begin to discuss matters with your cohort.

“We managed to find Isabel,” you say, getting the obvious out of the way. “She was in less than a good way.”

“Hello,” Isabel greets your fellow warriors with a polite bow. “Nice place you all have here.”

“You’ll find that it’s been getting a bit cramped,” Helen admits.

“It isn’t a barracks,” you point out. “But we’ll have to shift our sleeping arrangements. We may as well get used to the royal chambers being a bit more occupied now that our numbers have swelled to seventeen.”

“Trouble is the furniture in there is so… large,” Valentina points out.

“We may have to sell some of it,” you shrug. “Use the funds raised from that to help either purchase or commission replacements. How are the others who came ahead of us?”

[Resting,] Serana signals to you. [Zara’s condition was especially bad. They should all be just fine.]

“That’s good to hear,” Sofia replies flatly. “I was a little worried about them.”

“In any event welcome to the fold,” Helen nods to Isabel and Sofia both. “It’s good to see you here.”

“Thanks, it’s good to be out of that dungeon,” Isabel offers with a grimace. “Not an experience I’d be keen to repeat.”

“So who are our other guests?” Aurora asks you.

“Technically hostages,” you admit.

>Explain the situation to your cohort.
>Have the kids explain the situation to your cohort.
>Ask them to tell your cohort about their mother.
>Other?

>>4566359
>>Have the kids explain the situation to your cohort.
>>Ask them to tell your cohort about their mother.

>>4566359
>>Have the kids explain the situation to your cohort.
>>Ask them to tell your cohort about their mother.

>>4566359
>Have the kids explain the situation to your cohort.
>Explain the situation to your cohort.
Lets see if they understand their situation

>>4566359
>Explain the situation to your cohort.
>>Ask them to tell your cohort about their mother.

>>4566359
>Explain the situation to your cohort.
>Ask them to tell your cohort about their mother.

>>4566359
>Have the kids explain the situation to your cohort.
>Ask them to tell your cohort about their mother.

>>4566359
Then you gesture to Arren and Alicia. “It’s your story to tell.”

After a moment, Arren is the first to speak. “Your friend here took us as collateral against delivery of half our castle’s cannon.”

“Our father… made several mistakes,” Alicia adds.

“Alicia...”

She shakes her head curtly. “No, Arren… I think they were mistakes. These people aren’t to blame for what happened and you know it same as I do.”

After a moment of thought, Arren sighs. “Our father had your friend here… the one with the long silver ponytail… tortured. He also tried to have the other two who were there captured or killed.”

“I worked out an arrangement that would suitably chastise them while weakening them enough in the region that they won’t be able to cause further problems,” you clarify your own thoughts and intentions. “Arren and Alicia are here to ensure that their father doesn’t just renege on the terms.”

“Why would their father go to such extremes?” Helen wonders aloud.

Serana signals her own thoughts which you translate for the newcomers. [The Inquisition?]

Arren nods. “That’s part of it. The other part is that a silver-eyed woman killed our mother, in cold blood.”

The general response is predictably tense.

“Is it possible things happened just as they said?” Sabrina wonders quietly.

“No,” Justina asserts curtly.

Valentina is quick to agree. “That’s one of the few things we all share… by training or conviction we just don’t do things like that.”

“Clarice might,” Sofia admits. “But not without reason.”

>It must have been a yōma posing as one of our kind. There’s no other likely explanation.
>This is something we may wish to discuss privately. It’s a sensitive subject.
>We may wish to discuss those events in further detail. Would that be okay?
>Other?

>>4567575
>It must have been a yōma posing as one of our kind. There’s no other likely explanation.

>>4567575
>We may wish to discuss those events in further detail. Would that be okay?

>>4567575
>>We may wish to discuss those events in further detail. Would that be okay?
>Did they see the color of her sword hilt by any chance?

>>4567575
>We may wish to discuss those events in further detail. Would that be okay?

>>4567575
>>4567598

>>4567575
>We may wish to discuss those events in further detail. Would that be okay?
>Did they see the color of her sword hilt by any chance?
>Did she even have a sword?

>>4567575
>It must have been a yōma posing as one of our kind. There’s no other likely explanation.

>>4567575
“I have my own thoughts on the matter,” you admit, “but would it be okay to ask you both for a little more information?”

After considering your request for a moment, Arren nods. “Like what, exactly?”

“Was this assailant carrying a sword?” you enquire.

Arren shakes his head. “No, there were no reports that mentioned it from our mother’s attendants.”

“Then how was she killed?” Laura asks curtly.

“Her murderer grew massive claws and armor,” he clarifies.

Laura shakes her head. “That’s not an unheard-of method of battle for a warrior.”

“But it’s rare,” Helen asserts. “More like something I’ve heard of but never thought I’d see, like a myth.”

“There’s only one living person I know of who uses a fighting style like that,” Laura declares, sparing you a glance. “And she doesn’t fit the description in the slightest.”

“So what is that supposed to mean?” Arren demands hotly.

You frown. “It suggests to me that my initial instinct was right... it was a yoma disguising itself as a silver-eyed warrior.”

“That makes sense,” Aurora nods to herself. “The implication that a yoma would go so far to pin an attack on us is disturbing though.”

“A yoma?” Alicia repeats nervously. “So, the things your kind are meant to fight?”

>I see no realistic alternative. We know that yoma can change their appearances to blend in.
>There are a few possibilities, none as likely and all just as grim in their implications.
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?
>Other?

>>4569577
>>There are a few possibilities, none as likely and all just as grim in their implications.

>>4569577
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>>I see no realistic alternative. We know that yoma can change their appearances to blend in.
>>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>>>I see no realistic alternative. We know that yoma can change their appearances to blend in.
>>>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>>I see no realistic alternative. We know that yoma can change their appearances to blend in.
>>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>There are a few possibilities, none as likely and all just as grim in their implications.
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>There are a few possibilities, none as likely and all just as grim in their implications.
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>There are a few possibilities, none as likely and all just as grim in their implications.
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?

>>4569577
>There are a few possibilities, none as likely and all just as grim in their implications.
>I have to ask... did the attacker... EAT any of your mother after killing her?
>Other?
What was she doing traveling on the road? Were was she going or coming from?
Was she know to be involved in intrigue?

>>4569577
You make a series of gestures to Serana, which most of the others can understand as well, while you talk.

[I think we should ask my mother about this, but if she ever heard word of an awakened being doing something like this she’d have killed it personally.]
“There are a only a few alternatives,” you admit as you make the appropriate signs with your hands, “but none of them are very likely and all of them are just as disquieting. I’m sorry Arren, Alicia, but can you tell me one more detail? Did the attacker... eat any of your mother? Or were you told?”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to...”

“Will it help you to know?” Alicia interrupts.

You nod. “It could be relevant.”

“We never heard anything about that,” Alicia informs you.

Arren glances at his sister. “Alicia... why are you trusting these people?”

“You called them people,” she points out.

After a moment, Arren nods. “I suppose I did. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“I get the impression that Queen Noel is trying to help,” Alicia admits. “She could have destroyed all the cannons in our father’s castle, could she not?”

“I suppose so,” Arren admits.

“But she didn’t.”

“No.”

“She required our father to surrender half, and an equivalent amount of money,” Alicia reminds him. “Why?”

“To be sure we were left enough of both those things,” Arren sighs, “while ensuring that our father would stop making so much trouble in the region, particularly for other claymores. If he’s too focused on ensuring his own keep won’t fall he’ll be less likely to go looking for claymores, same way he did with the one named Isabel.”

“That’s very astute,” you nod. “I see you were paying attention this whole time.”

You gesture to Valentina. “Valentina, please escort our guests to the stewards’ house. Tell me, you two... would you consider yourselves particularly devout?”

“... our mother raised us to be observant,” Arren admits.
>1/2

>>4570696
"Then I can see to it that the local priest comes to visit you on a regular basis," you offer. "To see to any spiritual needs. We'll consider letting you out and about town after we get a better feel for whether you can be trusted to behave yourselves."

"I hope you can understand my position."

"I do," Arren admits. "And to the greatest degree possible given the circumstances I don't hold it against you."

...

Once the young lord and lady are no longer in the room, you repeat what you said for the benefit of those who cannot yet understand the hand signs you use for communicating with Serana.

"What I said before was that it's unlikely that the perpetrator is an awakened being," you reiterate. "Because the abyssal one Sabela would likely have killed them had they done so. What we're dealing with is most likely a garden-variety monster."

"How do you know that?" Isabel asks curiously.

>Because Sabela is my mother. So I know her.
>I don't. But I can go across the loch and ask.
>It's a REALLY sensitive topic. How do I know I can trust you both?

>>4570704
>It's an amazing story that I feel will be too distracting right now. I'll do it justice later.

>>4570707
>>4570704
I'm good with this.

>>4570704
this>>4570707

>>4570707
LOL. Support.

>>4570704
>>4570707
But also
>I don't. But I can go across the loch and ask.

>>4570704
>>4570707
This is good. But also
>>I don't. But I can go across the loch and ask.

>>4570704
“It’s a long story,” you sigh, wondering if it might not be better this way. “But it’s also probably a story for later. Right now there are other things to get you, Sofia, Claire, Zara, and Nora caught up on.”

“Such as?” Sofia enquires.

“Well the first thing we should do is get you acquainted with hand sign,” Helen insists. “Otherwise you’ll have a tough time speaking with Serana.”

“My understanding is she was wounded?” Isabel asks you carefully. “And was unable to heal from it?”

“Her vocal cords were misaligned,” you confirm. “So I introduced her to hand signs, based on a book from one of the monasteries in Daria where I did a job.”

“And they helped?” Isabel presses. “That seems somewhat out of character.”

“Old brother Vigilus owed me a favor,” you shrug. “And when he heard that I intended to use it to help one of my comrades he was happy to help. It cemented a friendship.”

“So what other information do you think we need?” Sofia asks.

>Would you like a tour of our little stronghold here? It’s quite an extensive defensive plan.
>I should probably discuss the implications of being Queen of Hazaran with you.
>I think hearing why those of us who are here chose to be here will give you all the context you need.
>Other?

>>4572028
>>I should probably discuss the implications of being Queen of Hazaran with you.
but in the end
>>I think hearing why those of us who are here chose to be here will give you all the context you need.

>>4572028
>>Would you like a tour of our little stronghold here? It’s quite an extensive defensive plan.
>>I think hearing why those of us who are here chose to be here will give you all the context you need.

>>4572028
>I think hearing why those of us who are here chose to be here will give you all the context you need.

>>4572028
>I should probably discuss the implications of being Queen of Hazaran with you.
>I think hearing why those of us who are here chose to be here will give you all the context you need.

>>4572028
>I should probably discuss the implications of being Queen of Hazaran with you.
>I think hearing why those of us who are here chose to be here will give you all the context you need.